Disclaimer: DC and Cw hold the rights and all characters. I'm merely expressing creative appreciation.
Oliver sat in the restaurant and looked over his to-do list. Getting Verdant back on its feet was pretty simple, an insurance claim would cover all the earthquake damage. Queen Consolidated however was a different story. Not only was the company under investigation due to Moira's role in the undertaking, but for the third time in five years it did not have a CEO. Oliver hoped this lunch meeting would fix that. He saw the host direct Walter to where he was sitting and rose to meet him. "Walter,"
"Oliver, good to see you." The men shook hands and took their seats. "How are you? How is Thea?"
"We're managing, mostly, and better than some which seems unfair."
"I heard about Tommy. It is a shame." Walter said sympathetically. They were interrupted by the waiter coming by to take their order. "But I get the feeling we aren't here to talk about personal matters."
"Not to dance around the topic, I need you to come back to work." Oliver watched his estranged step-father stiffen. "Queen Consolidated has been signed over to Thea and I and neither of us have any idea how to run a company."
"You've been managing with Verdant" Walter countered.
"A night club is nothing. Keep the bar stocked and the fights outside. A multi-national corporation is a little more complicated. Thea just graduated high school, do you really think she is ready for this? We need to face it as a family."
"I'm not going to be family much longer Oliver." The older man said with a hint of bitterness. " I'm not sure I ever was."
"You were, and you are." Oliver sighed as anger grew inside of him. "She lied to all of us."
"She did more than lie." Walter implied.
"You're probably right. I won't blame you if you hate her for as long as she lives. But there are hundreds of people here counting on me to keep them employed. If I'm going to do that I need your help." When their food arrived Oliver made his offer. "The arraignment is in three days. We're holding the press conference right after. I would really like to have your answer by then."
Walter couldn't help but think in that moment how much Oliver was like his father.
Three days later Felicity walked into the Queen home to find it a buzz with activity. There were lawyers and public relations people approving statements and preparing Thea and Oliver for the day ahead. Oliver saw her and excused himself from the group. "Hey," He gave her a small kiss. "Morning."
"Morning, how are you?" Felicity asked as they walked into the kitchen where enough coffee for an army was waiting.
" That matter is still under advisement and will be determined at a later date." Oliver recited.
"Ah I get it, practising for later."
" For the past two hours." He looked at her concerned " Are you sure you still want to come with us today? I would understand if you didn't."
"What are you talking about? Of course I'll be there. Why wouldn't I?" Oliver looked around before whispering
"Roy kind of went AWOL this morning."
"Really? The reformed prince of sketchy-town didn't want to spend the day at the court-house and you are surprised? I'm going to be there. Someone has to make sure you play nice."
"I'm always nice" He slid an arm around her waist "But thank you for being here." She shrugged.
"You go, I go." Oliver's phone started to vibrate so he gave her a quick kiss before walking off to answer it.
Moira's arraignment was more of a formality than anything else. Because she had co-operated with authorities, she would be put under house arrest until the full investigation was complete and the trial began. Oliver sat in the gallery directly behind his mother with two women holding his hands, Thea on his left, Felicity on his right. He held his face in a neutral expression, trying his best not to look around and see exactly who was looking at him. They were one of the most hated families in the city, and he really couldn't blame any of them for feeling that way.
When the press conference began on the courthouse steps immediately after the hearing Felicity stayed to the side of the scrum standing next to an on-duty Diggle. She watched in awe as Oliver was able to command the attention of the gaggle of reporters with a simple nod of his head.
"I will be reading a short prepared statement on behalf of myself, my sister Thea Queen, and Thomas Merlyn. Tommy cannot be here today as he is still in hospital recovering from injuries he received during the catastrophe. On behalf of the three of us, we offer our sincere condolences to all the families affected by the attack on the Glades. We were in no way complicit in the actions of our parents, but will do everything in our power to help the city recover quickly and rise to heights it has never reached before." Oliver's confidence began to waver. He glanced to the side and met Felicity's gaze. She gave a small smile and the slightest hint of a nod to encourage him to keep going. " While I can't speak to the future of Merlyn Global Corp, my mother, Moira Queen, has resigned as acting CEO of Queen Consolidated. Walter Steele will be returning to the post Working closely with myself and my sister to run the company in a full transparent and accountable manner. There will be no more secrets at Queen Consolidated. Thank you." Oliver grabbed his sister's hand and with the help of Diggle and the security team they all made it back into the car.
" I will be a happy man if I never have to do that again." Oliver sighed , leaned his head back on the seat and draped his arm over Felicity's shoulder.
" Prepare to be miserable then." Diggle said "You've signed up for a lifetime of that."
"it could be worse, they didn't throw rotten food." Felicity joked. Thea had buried her face in her cellphone and gave a small 'Huh' sound.
"Are they reviewing the statement online already?" Oliver asked. Thea smirked.
"Not the speech, the newest member of the family." She passed Oliver the phone. There was a posting on the local gossip blog Does Queen have a Princess? He passed the phone to Felicity, whose jaw dropped at the headline.
"Welcome to the 'A'List Felicity." Thea teased "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy life."